Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Retirement, & what it means.


I've had to rush everything all my life. Often self-inflicted, in fact mostly self-inflicted. But, for the last 72 years, everything has been a rush. And now it's not.

72 years? Sure thing. It's a story for another day really, but from the age of 6 until early 20's I had to do all the chores at home. (No violins, just how it was, & for context). Clear out the (coal) fire & light it, peel the spuds, shell the peas, wash the scullery floor, sweep the lounge carpet, dust everywhere, make the beds. And get to school by 9am. So I was always late for school. After school, rush home to do the evening chores.

Early twenties I left home &, subconsciously, I suppose tried to make up for lost time. Work, weight training, 5 a side football, drinking with the boys, going to parties, the whole works.

As life progresses, I still tried to cram too much into every day. (Self-inflicted).

Towards the end of my proper working life with B & K I had a full on job, MD of a business that employed 600 people, & I was into my "Phase 1 Golf", soon becoming Captain of my Club, with all the social engagements that went with it. It was overwhelming. Then I found poker, with frequent 5am finishes at Gala Notts. It was all too much.

So I retired.

That lasted 3 days, then I got approached to do a TV Show by bobby1, aka Phil Quayle, who was a big noise at Wm Hill. And one thing led to another, soon I was also doing Poker Night Live too, & then Sky Poker TV. And golfing. It was all too much, & I quit golf, instead, spent all week going back & forth to London for the TV stuff. The TV went on until around 2016, then I was asked to stay with Sky.

From 2016, really, I was overpaid & under-worked. So I tried to do extra stuff, to sort of justify my wages. My job was menial, they never once asked me to do anything, but I tried to justify my position by going the extra mile.

For the last 2 years, after Golf Mark 2 started, It became even more rushed. Typically, with an 11am tee-time, I'd get up at 5am to do my "work", such as it was, then get finished by 10.15, jump in the car & get to the Golf Course & hurriedly set up my trolley & bag & get myself organised. Part of the fun of golf is taking your time to prep for a round, & being chilled. I never had that.

    
And then I retired, & everything changed. Everything.

No more "rush", no more checking my 'phone every 5 minutes in case a work issue had arisen.

My retirement is not something I'm going to let happen. I'm going to make it happen. Do fun stuff every day. Never - NEVER - rush. No worries, my sky is cloudless.

As it happened, retirement started with the Vegas trip, so we'll start there. And what a trip it was.


TBC

[tikay]

Let's start with the original schedule, which was this....



Friday 23rd May – $600 Big O, Venetian


Saturday 24th May ($600 Big O, Venetian)



Sunday 25th May (Big O, Venetian Day 2)

Sunday 25th May, $240 Big O, Orleans



Monday 26th May, $1,100 Big O, Wynn

Tuesday 27th May, $250 Big O, Golden Nugget


Wednesday 28th May, $1,500 O8, WSOP

(Thursday 29th May, $1,500 O8, WSOP Day Two)

Thursday 29th May, $400 Big O, Golden Nugget


Friday 30th May, $400 PLO8/O8/Big O, Golden Nugget

Saturday 31st May $800 Big O Bounty, Venetian

Sunday 1st June, $600 Omaha Mix, MGM Grand (2pm)

Sunday 1st June, $240 Big O, Orleans (6pm)



Monday 2nd June, $1,500 Omaha Mix, WSOP



Tuesday 3rd June (WSOP Omaha Mix Day Two?)

Tuesday 3rd June, $600 PLO8, MGM Grand (2pm)

Tuesday 3rd June $240 Omaha Mix, Orleans (4pm)



Wednesday 4th June $1,500 PLO8, WSOP



Thursday 5th June (WSOP PLO8 Day two?)

Thursday 5th June $600 PLO Mystery Bounty

Thursday 5th June $240 O8 Orleans


Friday 6th June $1,100 Big O, Wynn (1pm)

Friday 6th June $300 Big O, MGM Grand (2pm)


Saturday 7th June $1,500 Big O, WSOP


Sunday 8th June $1,500 Big O, WSOP Day 2

Sunday 8th June $800 Big O Venetian (Noon)

Sunday 8th June $240 Big O, Orleans (6pm)


Monday 9th June, $800 PLO8, Venetian


Tuesday 10th June, $600 Big O, MGM Grand


Wednesday 11th June, $1,600 Big O Bounty, Venetian (doubtful)

Wednesday 11th June $250 PLO8 MGM Grand (6pm)

Wednesday 11th June $240 O8/Stud8 Orleans (4pm)


Thursday 12th June $1,100 PLO Bounty Venetian


Friday 13th June $1,100 NLH Seniors, Aria


Saturday 14th June $1,100 PLO Venetian (doubtful)



Sunday 15th June $1,600 Big O Bounty Venetian

Sunday 15th June $240 PLO Orleans


Monday 15th June $1,000 NLH Seniors WSOP



Tuesday 16th June $400 O8 Golden Nugget

Wednesday 18th June $1,500 PLO 8 Max WSOP

Wednesday 18th June $250 PLO MGM Grand

Thursday 19th June $1,100 Big O Bounty Venetian

Thursday 19th June $250 PLO MGM Grand




That schedule came to around £16,000 (sterling), excluding rebuys/re-entries. And I had a staker (more on which later) who stuck up £8,000. EIGHT THOUSAND POUNDS. Jeez, that alone scared me. Supposing I bricked everything?


Inevitably, that changed a bit. Not hugely, but a bit....


TBC

[tikay]

After my 1st or 2nd "big buy-in" PLO I elected not to play any more vanilla PLO on the trip.

I'm "OK" at PLO & have had my share of decent scores, & I play a fair bit of £2 £2 6 card PLO cash at DTD without getting into trouble.    

But this was different. In a $1,100 PLO at Venetian, I was quite comfy first few levels, & then I got a table change.

OMG.

This was about Level 2 or 3 & they were SPINNING FOR STACKS.

I was completely out of my comfort zone. Maybe not good enough, maybe I just can't go that pace, but I was a fish out of water.

So I elected not to play any more vanilla PLO on the trip. Gotta know when you are not good enough, & leave Mr Ego at home.

Then, there's MGM. I played a Tourney there & could never get comfy. The light levels were very poor, we were outside the main cardroom in amongst the slots, the machines were making those inane binging & bonging noises, & the plasma was like something we used to see at Grosvenor Salford in 1998. To be fair, playing at places like Venetian spoiled me, Venetian is gorgeous in every way - great light levels, comfy chairs, good dealers, auto shufflers, terrific Plasma software, and chip stacks update every break on Poker Atlas.

Anyway, I did not like MGM, so scrubbed the rest of those off the list.

Then I added a few. First a little O8/Stud8 affair, $400 I think, then on the last day, a pure Stud8 game, as I loved the first Stud8 so much. It's been 20 years since I played Stud & I'd forgotten how much fun it was. If I get to go again next year, I'll play as much as I can, though only up to, say, $600 buy-in level.  

I told Mr Staker that I'd play the Stud stuff "off-stake" but he was having none of that, so it went on stake. I failed to cash in both, obv.

TBC

[tikay]

Rebuys & re-entries? Nil.

That's neither an accident or a boast.

At my level, I simply can't justify re-entries. Think about it. In a $1,000 MTT we are going to pay twice the entry fee, twice the reg fee, & we are going to be re-entering after, say, 8 or 10 levels so are getting much less bang for our buck. (Venetian Late Reg typically lasts SIX hours).

This is NOT knocking the Big Boys who have the game & the 'roll. For them, it's fine & I'm sure they can justify it. For me, a semi-competent rec at best, no.

I rarely bust early anyway, as I'm so nitty.

There was almost one exception, in a Limit O8 affair at Nugget I think.

It was one of those sessions where I just could not find any playable material. Everyone else was limping, as they do in Limit early doors, & I was sitting there like a dumbschmuck.

Eventually, with 3 hands left to the end of the rebuy period, I'm sitting on 15,000 from 30,000 ss. And I've had no fun at all, I've been sideshow Bob, just sat there watching. So I decided I was going to rebuy during the break. Which meant I could freeroll my remaining 15,000....

So I just went BET BET BET to the cap, & 2 players came along with me the whole way. I started with complete air, & of course - yes, you've guessed - I scooped, & suddenly I'm sitting on 45,000.

Wow.

More shocks were to come. When the plasma updated, there were still 87 of the original 95 in, & the average was just 34,000 I think. And I had 45,000 from the one hand I'd played.... (Just a day earlier I'd played the $1,000 WSOP Seniors and 1,000 of the 3,000 entries perished after just 4 levels).

I wish there were a happy ending to that Tourney, but it was not to be. Huge fun though.


I perhaps should add that as a recreational I have certain aims when I play poker, which are maybe a little different to most.


OED define "recreational as....


"relating to or denoting activity done for enjoyment when one is not working".


Yup, that's me.

So....


1) Enjoy myself. 

2) No arguments, & never never allow so-called "bad beats" to bother me. Just enjoy.

3) Min cash.

4) Min cash.

5) Min cash.

6) Spend as long in the Comp as I possibly can.

I'm obsessed & fixated with min cashing. And yes, I can hear the mockery & howls of derision, but that's how it is. I want max table time for my money.

Greatest joy in Tourney Poker? 20 or 30 off the money, with a quarter average stack. It's not possible to have nor fun, more excitement, & a bigger thrill when the Floor Bloke says "you are all in the money".

Well I definitely ticked every one of those boxes.

Worry not, the poker bit has nearly finished.


TBC

[MANTIS01]

Hot Legs at Glastonbury last night saw 80yr-old Rod Stewart in bright fuchsia suit gyrating, Ronnie Wood gurning out a guitar solo at 78 and Lulu strutting around at 76. None of them were mewing about old age and it was more enjoyable for it.

[tikay]

Like all or most poker players, I chirp for England when I cash, & say little when I don't.

I think I've mentioned every cash except the last one, which was an $600 Big O Bounty at Venetian. It was, perhaps, the most enjoyable one of all for lots of reasons.

Late stages - 30 off the money - I'm nursing a bowl as usual, & to my direct left is a fella with all the chips. Totally handcuffed me. Then they did a table re-draw as we were down to 3 tables. Hurrah.

And after the re-draw, he's to my immediate right. Un-hurrah.  

Oh, & those pink & black things he's got are Bounty Chips he's won.... (In fact I had won 4 bounties, but they were in my pocket).

My stack is the first stack, in case you are not paying attention.

Anyway, cashed for $2,063 plus $400 in bounties.

[tikay]

Hot Legs at Glastonbury last night saw 80yr-old Rod Stewart in bright fuchsia suit gyrating, Ronnie Wood gurning out a guitar solo at 78 and Lulu strutting around at 76. None of them were mewing about old age and it was more enjoyable for it.

...and all 3 of them were shite. Especially Ronnie.

[EssexPhil]

Always good to read your ramblings, Teeks. They might have improved with age, but they have always been good.

Similarly, your dress sense might have got worse, but it has always been, er, individualistic.

Delighted your trip was everything you hoped it would be. Other people might add a really deep run. But that would not be as high a priority for you.

Turning briefly to Glastonbury, I cannot understand the fuss about things. From elderly people who cannot understand or make adjustments when their voice is not what it was (Fogherty, Young) to all the fuss about Bob Vylan.

Why is it that the people who bang on about the right to free speech when it suits them are the self-same people who want to censor debate when it does not?

I'm an adult. I can listen to things I do not agree with. And learn.

[tikay]

So, the last poker post.

All those cashes - 11 I think, only 9 of which are currently on Hendon, & around $2,000 in Bounties in total.



https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=3265


So my total profit for the trip was....


A LOSS of £984, of which my Staker contributed £492, so I sent him a dividend of £7,508 from his £8k.

All that chirping & I ended up losing money, lol.

I mean, it COULD have been a whole lot worse.  

Personally, I could not have enjoyed it more. Lots of table time, lots of fun tables, lots of cashes. The only regret was I cost my staker nearly £500.

And - let's ignore Dr MANTIS as usual -  there's the A thing. What do YOU think when a 77 year old bloke sits down at the table? Yup. He's the mark. Or so they think. Most of them would swap for my end result & would not have half as much fun.

I am the new Eric Dalby. (Though not as schoolheadmasterish). I really don't know if dear Eric is still with us, he was well over 80 last time I saw him, & his last Hendon was 2012. I do hope he's OK, or, at least, resting peacefully.

So that's Vegas 2025 wrapped up, but the memories will last forever, I loved every moment. Most all all, NO RUSHING. Arrived every day 90 minutes early, registered, sent Mr Staker the receipt/seat/table draw, then went & got a Starby & sat in a quiet corner with my book for an hour & just chilled.

[tikay]

Always good to read your ramblings, Teeks. They might have improved with age, but they have always been good.

Similarly, your dress sense might have got worse, but it has always been, er, individualistic.

Delighted your trip was everything you hoped it would be. Other people might add a really deep run. But that would not be as high a priority for you.

Turning briefly to Glastonbury, I cannot understand the fuss about things. From elderly people who cannot understand or make adjustments when their voice is not what it was (Fogherty, Young) to all the fuss about Bob Vylan.

Why is it that the people who bang on about the right to free speech when it suits them are the self-same people who want to censor debate when it does not?

I'm an adult. I can listen to things I do not agree with. And learn.

Fair comment as to Glasto Phil, but the fact remains, it was sad to see Rod - I'm a huge fan - trying to recapture past glories when his voice has long gone. Ditto Lulu. And as for Ronnie, he's a complete fraud these days, & only uses slide to (try to) cover up his deficiencies. (Nice missus though).

I chanced across a recent performance by No Doubt recently, & the same applies, Gwen's voice has totally gone, all we have left is acres of midriff.

And before Mitherer-in-chief MANTIS chimes in, yes, it applies to me too. But I never show midriff these days. 

[tikay]

In my new "no rushing" mode, that'll have to be it for now.

18 holes at Breadsall awaits, & I plan to arrive an hour early & get ready in a leisurely fashion.

I take some pride in "walking" at golf, & don't use a buggy, but in today's heat, maybe a buggy makes more sense.

Predicted score? If I break 100, I'll be happy. Ish.

[typhoon13]

Predicted score? If I break 100,

Then you woke up

[tikay]

Predicted score? If I break 100,

Then you woke up

Fiver says I break 100.

[typhoon13]

Yes please

Easy money

The funny thing is Bookiebasher will take £10 from you on putting green before you even start hahahaha

Your £15 up tit creek already

[Pokerpops]

Always good to read your ramblings, Teeks. They might have improved with age, but they have always been good.

Similarly, your dress sense might have got worse, but it has always been, er, individualistic.

Delighted your trip was everything you hoped it would be. Other people might add a really deep run. But that would not be as high a priority for you.

Turning briefly to Glastonbury, I cannot understand the fuss about things. From elderly people who cannot understand or make adjustments when their voice is not what it was (Fogherty, Young) to all the fuss about Bob Vylan.

Why is it that the people who bang on about the right to free speech when it suits them are the self-same people who want to censor debate when it does not?

I'm an adult. I can listen to things I do not agree with. And learn.

Fair comment as to Glasto Phil, but the fact remains, it was sad to see Rod - I'm a huge fan - trying to recapture past glories when his voice has long gone. Ditto Lulu. And as for Ronnie, he's a complete fraud these days, & only uses slide to (try to) cover up his deficiencies. (Nice missus though).

I chanced across a recent performance by No Doubt recently, & the same applies, Gwen's voice has totally gone, all we have left is acres of midriff.

And before Mitherer-in-chief MANTIS chimes in, yes, it applies to me too. But I never show midriff these days. 

Not all the octogenarians struggled at Glastonbury. Fogerty rocked the Pyramid Stage, and The Searchers’ last ever gig had all the energy and fun that Rod lacked. There may not have been a couple of thousand of us there for Sweets for my Sweet etc,  but I’d bet that’s the biggest crowd they’d played to in decades and they gave it their all.